Kentucky man claims he killed, skinned dogs to make coat

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who claimed to have skinned four of his neighbors' dogs to make a “doggy coat” has been charged with animal torture.

Jonathan D. Watkins, 38, was arrested in the Floyd County community of David on Dec. 23 after a neighbor called authorities, news outlets reported.

The neighbor told police that Watkins came to his home to ask for a cigarette and was covered in blood. The neighbor said when asked, Watkins said he had been skinning dogs, according to an arrest citation.

The neighbor didn't believe him initially b ecause he knew Watkins had had mental health issues in the past, but later saw what looked like animal skins and dog carcasses on Watkins ' front porch, the citation said. The neighbor told police that he was missing two dogs and thought another neighbor was missing two dogs as well.

A state trooper who responded found Watkins at his home with a knife and what appeared to be blood on his clothing.

When the trooper asked where the blood came from, Watkins replied, "I'm making myself a doggy coat," according to the arrest citation. Watkins told the trooper that he stabbed the dogs and then skinned them.

During a Dec. 27 hearing, Floyd District Court Judge Jimmy R. Marcum appointed a public defender for Watkins and ordered him held without bond. He also ordered him to undergo a psychiatric examination, court records showed.